The Boy Who Cried Wolf
by Maidenstear
Summary: Amu is now a junior in high school and Ikuto has been gone for five years. What kind of feelings has she realized in this time?


Aneko: Mou, it feels good to be writing fanfictions again. Even if they are being written at a much-too-late hour. I'm going to be tired tomorrow …-_- Minna-san! I present to you my first Shugo Chara! Fanfiction! The Amuto pairing, naturally –wink-

Disclaimer:

Kiseki: This commoner does not own this King! As if that could EVER happen!

Aneko: Oy, chibi-king, I don't remember asking you to do it…

Pepe: It's true, though-dechu. She doesn't own Shugo Chara!-dechu.

Aneko: Geez, enough! They got it. –ahem- Now then, please read on.

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* * *

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

"Then, I will be leaving first…"

"Ah—see you tomorrow, Tadase-kun!" Amu called as the blonde-haired boy stood up. Tadase smiled and waved before walking out the door.

"I should be leaving soon too," Rima said quietly. "Mama and Papa are waiting…"

"I have soccer practice today."

"I'll be leaving as well," Nagihiko said, smiling. "I have dance practice."

"Oh? Nagi does? So does Yaya!" Yaya spoke up, raising her hand.

"Hmmm, you all seem so busy," Amu said, resting her chin on her hand. "I'm kind of jealous…"

Kukai laughed, ruffling her hair. "Would special training cheer you up?"

"A-ahaha...no, that won't be necessary," Amu said sheepishly, fixing her hair again.

"Well, whatever —See you tomorrow!"

Amu waved to her friends as they left. She stayed seated for a few minutes longer before standing up and having a good stretch.

"Right!" She smiled. "I'd better head back too."

Grabbing her school bag, she headed for the door. Just before walking out, though, she took one last look at the planetarium. Though there was no one there, she gave a gentle smile.

"See you again soon," she murmured.

* * *

It had been five years since everything had ended. The X eggs, Easter, the ?eggs, saying goodbye to her charas. They were all in high school now. It was Kukai's last year and Yaya had just entered. It was strange, not being a Guardian, but Amu got used to it eventually. Sometimes, though, she found it painful, the fact that she could no longer meet so easily with everyone any more like she used to, like having meetings in the greenhouse. All of her friends often had things to do, and it was harder for them to get together.

They still found time, though. And often after school they would get together somewhere, like the planetarium by the elementary school. The only one who could not be there was Kairi, who was living in his hometown. But he did occasionally send letters to everyone, so they knew he was doing well.

It was cold out, with winter just getting started. As she walked down the street, Amu paused, looking up into the sky. "Really," she murmured sadly. Her breath came out in a white puff in front of her. "Am I going to keep being left behind?"

Before Dia had disappeared, she had told Amu "we're always with you," and Amu had agreed and understood that. But still…

_"Being unable to see you again face-to-face…is lonely…"_

Truthfully, she missed her charas. She understood that they had simply been her "would-be selves," but it still felt like they had been individual people. They were there for her when she was down. Sometimes, she still even made an off-hand comment, expecting a cheery response from the four little characters.

Without warning, Amu slapped her cheeks. "No! I can't get down now! They would worry about me."

That's right. If they had been there with her now…Ran would be chanting a little cheer to make her feel better, Miki would draw her a picture, and Su would make some tea for everyone.

Amu looked up at the sky again and took a big breath. "Okay!" She shouted out, as loud as she could. She wanted to get pumped up, like Ran would have done with a character change.

There was a small hill in front of her, and Amu raced towards it without hesitation. The wind whipped her hair away from her face as she nearly flew down the declining land. When she got to the bottom she kept running, not anywhere in particular, but just to _go_. When she finally stopped, her heart was beating satisfyingly fast, and her breath came out in short gasps.

She looked around her, wondering where her feet had taken her, and a fond smile crossed her face. Amu took a quick glance around before squeezing through the broken gate. Once inside the deserted place, she flipped the breaker.

It wasn't as beautiful as it was at nighttime, but she still loved the old broken-down theme park. The faint strain of merry-go-round music filled her ears. She had visited the park several times over the past couple years, and it never failed to put a smile on her face.

Amu considered going on one of the rides, but decided against it. Going by herself, after all, was kind of lonely. She leaned on a fence and looked at all the colors, remembering all the memories connected to this place. And as she thought, she realized that each one was connected to the same person.

_Tsukiyomi Ikuto._

Amu bit her lip, her fist clenching. Just thinking about the sly, mischievous cat-like boy made her chest tighten painfully. She hadn't seen him in so long. At first, she had been certain she would be happy about it—he wouldn't be there to cause trouble, or confuse her feelings, or make Utau get mad at her. And besides, he was so much like an alley cat that he would sometimes disappear for weeks and she wouldn't hear from him. What should a little more time matter?

But _this_—this was different. This was _years_, not weeks. And the more time passed, the more she realized there was a great big gaping hole in her heart.

_Ikuto…wherever you are… are you doing well? Have you found your father yet?_

Amu closed her eyes and began humming, the song that she had forced Ikuto to accompany her to on his violin. Truthfully, she was surprised she could still remember all of it.

_Lalala__utaou utaou  
_

_Kao o age__kokoro no mama  
_

_Utaou_

Akiramecha ikenai

_Dekinai koto nante nai__yume ga aru  
_

Yuuki no uta

Dare ni mo makenai

_Arukidasou__mune hatte  
_

_Watashi dake no michi ga aru  
_

_Shinjiru no sa__hontou sa_

Dakai yama ga mashite mo

_Ganbatte norikoe you  
_

_Watashi ni nara dekiru sa  
_

_Kiseki okosou_

The breeze stirred her hair gently. As she finished, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply in the silence. In the west, the sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows along the ground. Amu knew she should be getting back home soon, or papa would worry (even though she was in high school already).

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps behind her.

_It must be the caretaker come to chase me off again…_she thought. It had happened once before when she had visited the place. A crabby old man with beady eyes and a scraggly beard had appeared and yelled at her until she ran off.

Amu sighed. "Don't worry, Mr. Caretaker, I'll leave now. So you don't have to yell at me or chase me this time, okay?" she said, addressing the man.

A deep chuckle sounded. "You know, I've never been the caretaker of a broken-down theme park. Do you think I should give it a try?"

At the sound of the voice, Amu's eyes widened. She felt herself go uncomfortably light-headed. The voice, though a little deeper, still had that mischievous lilt it always did whenever he talked to her. She would know that voice anywhere. Her heels made a _scritch_ sound on the pavement as she whirled around.

Ikuto smiled that smile that Amu somehow knew was just for her.

"Yo, Amu."

"I-Ikuto!"

"I'm home, honey."

"Wh-what are you saying, _stupid_!" Amu cried, her face a lovely shade of pink that matched her hair.

Ikuto chuckled in delight at her reaction. "Ah, I missed that face…"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean? You—"

He walked up to her and fingered a lock of her hair. "Your hair's not much longer. I guess you like to keep it short."

Amu looked down. "I…"

"Hm-m?" Ikuto leaned closer, so that his head was the same height as Amu's. At such close quarters, Amu could smell his shampoo. "Speak up, I can't hear you, Amu."

Amu turned away stubbornly, refusing to look at him. "It's nothing. Nothing!"

"Really?" Ikuto reached forward and draped his arms on her shoulders from behind.

"Hey!"

"Don't be so stiff, Amu. We haven't seen each other in a while."

"I'm not being _stiff_, I just want my personal space! Is that too much to ask around you?"

"I don't wanna let go."

"I have to get home! Mama and Papa will worry!"

"You're just making excuses. Come on, Amu—let's go on a date," he practically purred.

"You're not serious, so—"

"Of course I'm serious," Ikuto said quietly. "I'm 'the boy who cried wolf,' remember? The false alarms are all over. The nasty little boy learned his lesson."

"Even if you say that…"

"Come on. Just call and ask for permission if you have to. Or do you want me to do it for you?"

"Oh_, no_ way! _I'll_ call! Don't even _touch_ my phone!"

Amu extricated herself from his arms and reluctantly pulled out her cell phone. When she called home, mama picked up.

"Ah! Amu-chan! We were just wondering where you'd gone. Is anything the matter, dear?"

"No, Mama, but…I was wondering if you would mind if I stayed out for a little while tonight…"

"Oh my, did something happen?"

"Well, I ran into an old…friend…" Amu hesitated on the word "friend." Because honestly, was that what Ikuto was supposed to be labeled as? A friend? She had never quite been certain of the answer to this question—not then and not now either.

"I see. Is it perhaps that Tsukiomi Ikuto boy?"

"Eh? How did you…"

On the other end of the line, Amu could hear her mother's soft laughter. "Call it a mother's intuition. Don't worry, I understand. Have fun, sweetheart. Oh, and Amu-chan?"

"Yes?"

"When you get home, best not tell papa that you were out with a boy."

"Ah…right."

Amu hung up, and turned to the waiting Ikuto. "She said…I could go."

"Good. Come on."

Ikuto started walking off, and Amu had no choice but to follow along behind. Luckily, this time Ikuto didn't make her follow him along the twisting narrow walls of back alleys. Instead they walked down the street like normal people. Which, Amu had to think, they pretty much were now.

Ikuto wasn't saying anything, just walking along with his hands in his pockets. Amu was on the verge of starting a conversation, just to break the awkward silence, when a store display caught her attention. Behind the window glass was a display of girl's chokers. There was an adorable red and black one that stood out among them.

"I see your tastes have stayed the same," Ikuto said. Amu realized he was standing over her shoulder.

"W-well! No, they…didn't really." What had started out as a stubborn retort failed and turned into a meek response.

Ikuto chuckled at her childishness. "Want to go try it on?"

"H-Huh? Really?"

"Of course, silly." He ruffled her hair. "This is a date, right? Aren't we supposed to do stuff you like?"

"Wh-who said this was a date?"

"It's not? Then stop blushing so obviously, or people will think it is."

Huffing, Amu led the way into the store. Momentarily, she forgot about Ikuto's teasing and tried on several chokers. There were even a couple rings she thought were cute. But since she didn't have enough money, she had to choose between the choker and the ring that she had picked out. As she debated, Ikuto just observed. Finally Amu decided on the choker.

As she carried her choice to the register, Amu couldn't help but think that right now, she was happy. She took out her wallet to pay for her purchase when Ikuto handed money to the cashier instead. Taken by surprise, Amu just blinked and looked up at him.

"My, what a sweet boyfriend you have," the cashier woman said, smiling.

Amu looked back and forth between the cashier and Ikuto. "Eh? My…?" The words finally registered in her brain. "My…wha—no! He's not my boyfriend!"

They left the store with Amu in no better mood than when they first went in.

"There's no need to be angry, Amu," Ikuto said calmly.

"You didn't have to pay for me," Amu said stiffly.

"But I wanted to. In commemoration of our first date."

"Like I said, it's not—"

"Come on, let's keep going." Ikuto started walking away again, and Amu, swept up like she always was by his pace, followed.

"Wanna get some ice cream?" he asked.

"What? Ice cream? In this weather?"

"Sure."

"You're crazy!"

"It'll make you warmer. Come on, just try it."

After making Ikuto promise to pay for it in case she didn't want to finish it, Amu grudgingly agreed. They stopped at the nearest ice cream store, and they both got chocolate.

_Even after five years he still likes chocolate flavored…I guess some things don't change even when you become an adult…_Amu thought.

Ikuto turned out to be right. The cold from the ice cream counteracted the cold air and made her feel warmer. Amu hated to admit that he was right—he would just give her a hard time about it—but she didn't have to. He saw the look on her face and started laughing.

Eventually the two of them made their way to a local playground. This late in the day, no one was around, and they sat on the swings together. Ikuto was silent again, and Amu gathered up the courage to say what she had been meaning to back at the theme park.

"U-um, Ikuto…"

"Hm?"

Amu shut her eyes. "Actually, I…I wanted to tell you that…I really…missed you…" Her voice got really quiet.

"Oh, really?" She could just _hear_ his smirk.

Frustrated, Amu got up from the swing, and started walking away. Stupid Ikuto-he was always going to be difficult. She would have gone home right then, but Ikuto's voice stopped her again.

"Thank you…Amu."

For some reason, his tone of voice sounded different. Amu turned back and saw that Ikuto was smiling gently again.

"You know," he said quietly, barely audible above the suddenly loud creak of the swings, and the blowing of the wind. "I'm going to be leaving Japan again soon."

Amu's eyes widened. "What? B-but I thought you were here to stay this time…"

Ikuto shook his head. "I still haven't found my father. And until I do…"

"…You're going to keep travelling around the world." Amu looked at the ground, her hands curling into fists. This time it might be more than five years. This time it might be ten years, or twenty.

Or he might never come back.

Something cold suddenly landed on Amu's head. Surprised, she looked up into the sky.

"Snow…" she murmured.

Watching the delicate white flakes fall to the ground like flower blossoms, Amu made her decision. Ikuto was watching the sky too. While his gaze was focused upwards, Amu ran to the entrance of the playground.

"Amu…?"

Amu silently asked her guardian characters for courage.

"Listen up, Ikuto!" she called. "Because I'm only going to say this once! Got it?"

Amu took a big breath, her cheeks flushing furiously with cold and emotion, and shouted:

"_I love you, Tsukiomi Ikuto!" _

Ikuto rose from his swing, staring at her with the biggest expression of shock she'd ever seen on his face. It somehow made her smile.

The two of them stared at each other across the playground. The snow fell between them in its soft, silent way, forgiving everything in its clean whiteness.

Finally, Ikuto smiled. "I always wanted to hear you say that." He began to walk over to Amu, leaving footprints in the already accumulating white flakes. When he reached her, he pulled her into an embrace. Amu would have protested, but she was cold. And maybe she did like it…a little.

"Amu," Ikuto whispered. "Wait for me."

At his words, Amu remembered the unfortunate truth he had admitted a moment ago, and her eyes teared up a bit. "But I don't know…when you're coming back."

Ikuto let go of her and pulled something from his pocket.

"This is my promise to you, Amu," he said, slipping the ring Amu had seen at the store onto her right hand ring finger. "I'll come back to you. Even if I'm halfway around the world from here, I'll be thinking of you until the day I can come back."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Okay…then I promise that I'll be waiting for you." Amu smiled. "And I'll be the first one to tell you 'Welcome home!' when you get back. Pinky promise, okay?"

Ikuto chuckled. "Pinky promise? You're still so childish," he teased. But he complied to her request anyway. "Don't get too jealous—I might run into some very pretty foreign girls."

"Don't even _think_ about it, stupid!"

Amu smiled fondly.

_Dear Ran, Miki, Suu and Dia. It seems I've fallen in love with this sly cat-like boy who cried wolf._

* * *

Aneko: The end! So? How was it for my first Shugo Chara! Fanfiction? Cheesy? Fluffy? A strange unidentifiable mush of both? Please review, for I dearly love comments.

Sooooooooooo loooooong! Geez, I didn't think I had it in my capacity to write a oneshot this long! But I guess anything can happen…

Really hilarious coincidence is that I was writing this before the final chapter of Shugo Chara! Encore came out, and after I read it I was like, "Holy smokes! Some parts in here are similar to my fanfiction!"


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